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A few weeks ago, I was sitting at the airport ready to board my flight for Baghdad when a sudden emotion rushed over me: fear.  I looked around and saw people dressed very differently than me. I heard conversations in a language I did not understand.  I was the only one of the several hundred passengers who carried a passport with “United States” printed on the front cover.  There was a sudden rush of fear that crept over me.

But as I boarded the plane, I thought to myself, “Where does this fear come from?”  It wasn’t a fear I’ve never felt before.  In fact, it was the same fear I felt the first time I served meals to the homeless on the riverbank in Huntington.  It was also the same fear I felt the first time I navigated west-side Charleston on my own.  I had also experienced that fear the first time I crossed the street to invite my neighbor to church.  Still to this day, I experience that fear at certain family reunions.

But where does that fear come from?

As I thought about it further, I realized that most of my fear came from my perceptions, influenced by what I read, and what I watched, and what I heard from others.  Rarely do I experience fear as a result of actual experiences.  Rather, most of my fear usually comes from false perceptions.

What dawned on me in that moment was how often I let my perception of others prevent me from being obedient to Christ’s commission. More specifically, I frequently allow my view of others to dictate whether or not I approach them with the gospel.  Satan loves when I do that.  When I do that, he gets a small victory, and I am left further divided from those Christ called me to serve.

What I read in Scripture, however, is that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but rather one of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:7).  In fact, he tells us not to fear more than 100 times!  Even in the Great Commission, he sends us with his full authority and he promises to be with us every step of the way (Matt 28:19-20).  I think it is safe to say that fear is not from God.

What I encountered in Iraq was a people much different than what I saw on the news.  What I met were people who were kind and loving, and who’s hospitality far exceeded my own.  Likewise, they had perceptions of me that I was also hopefully able to change.  Perceptions often lead to fear.  But in my experience, through actual conversations, those perceptions began to change.  And as we talked, I learned more of their circumstances.  And as I learned more of their circumstances, I was able to relate to them better.  And as I was able to relate to them better, I was able to impart hope through the message of the gospel.  However, I had to start by getting on the plane.

What perceptions do you have that are keeping you from being obedient to the Great Commission?  How have you allowed fear to keep you from following God?  Satan loves to use fear as a means of causing division, and in that sense, fear becomes the greatest obstacle to missions.  But Christ has not called you to a life of fear.  He has called you to a life of obedience.

The next time you have the opportunity, I encourage you to board that plane, or to cross that street, or to go to that family reunion.  In many cases, eternal lives are at stake!  Christ calls you to far more than simply a life of fear.  When he calls you, there is likely something he wants to do both in you and through you.

September 1 Update from David Bess:

An update was received today from Central Church in Ryazan. Pastor Victor reports that they have managed to repair the rafters and roofing for their historic church building. They were able to do it with help from other churches in the Ryazan oblast and deep financial sacrifices of their own congregation. Funds are still greatly needed, however, for interior repairs to the damaged ceiling and the old, heavily worn seats. Please pray for them to have the funds that they need to finish these required repairs for a Russian historic facility, and for any donations made from WVBC churches to be transferred quickly to them.

Original Letter from the Central Baptist Church:

Greetings from the Central Baptist Church in Ryazan! We have a need with which we would like help from our West Virginia Baptist friends. We own our church building, but it is very old. It was built by Lutherans in the 19th century. During the Soviet era, it was taken from the church and became a shop. In the 1990’s it was given back to the Central Baptists. It is an architectural monument, a cultural heritage site for Ryazan. If we don’t keep it in good shape, we will have serious problems with the government. We also want to maintain it so we can have it for future generations. Thanks to answered prayers, we have been able to renovate the floors, but now the condition of the roof and ceiling is a serious problem. They need considerable repairs. We are looking for sponsors to help us. It is too hard to solve the problem by ourselves. Most members of our church are retired and their pensions are too small. The estimated cost for repairs is more than 500 000 rubles ($7,800). Please pray for our need! Thank you for your support! God bless you!

How You Can Help:

Checks should be sent to WVBC, designated for Russia missions, Central Baptist Church. You can also give through your WVBC church and forward it to Russia missions.

Want to Learn More About the Russia Mission Partnership?

Contact us and we will connect you with someone from the partnership team. There are several upcoming trips, as well as numerous opportunities you can partner with them financially and through prayer.

You can also visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

God’s Global Purpose in the Old Testament

In the opening pages of Genesis, it doesn’t take long to notice God’s global plan of redemption. After creating mankind in his own image, the very first words he speaks to them is a command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). It is clear from the outset that he has plans to fill the earth with his image.

Well, you know the story. Man sins. God sends a flood. He starts again with Noah, and he says to him once again, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1).

Once again, however, the intention of men’s hearts are exposed, as they show themselves to be more concerned with their own glory rather than the glory of God. In chapter 11, instead of filling the earth to make a name for God, they attempt to stay put and make a name for themselves. They begin building a tower with its top in the heavens, and when the Lord comes down to survey their tower, I am sure he is quite impressed! (Exaggeration intended). From there, he confuses their languages and disperses them over the face of all the earth (Gen 11:1-9).  Languages are introduced, and nations are formed. And from there starts God’s global mission to bring all these nations back into relationship with himself.

It starts in the very next chapter.  God instructs Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:1-3).

Abram has a son named Isaac, and God repeats this promise to him, saying, “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”  (Gen 26:4).

And once again, to Isaac’s son, Jacob, God repeats the promise, “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 28:14).

We are not even out of Genesis and it is clear that God intends to bless the nations of the earth by bringing them back into relationship with himself.

After first discovering God’s global plan of redemption, I was amazed at how many Old Testament stories had this theme at the center. For example:

• The 10 commandments were given to show God’s “wisdom and understanding to the nations” (Deut 4:5-6),
• David defeated Goliath so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Sam 17:46).
• God gave Solomon wisdom, and as a result, “people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:34)
• God brought Israel out of exile so “that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
  
• Even the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:28-29), Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan 6:25-26), and Jonah (entire book) had this theme at the center.

And that just summarizes the Old Testament!

God’s Global Purpose in the New Testament

The New Testament displays this theme even more! The Great Commission, of course, has “all nations” as it’s focus (Matt 28:19-20). But consider some of these other examples:

• In the birth story, some of the first ones to meet the Messiah were wise men from the nations.
• When Jesus flipped the tables in the temple, his reasoning was that “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” (Mark 11:17).
• Even John 3:16, the most popular verse in Christianity, has the whole world as the scope of God’s love.
• Or consider the entire book of Acts, or any of Paul’s letters (written to the Gentiles – or to “the nations”).

From cover to cover – from Genesis to Revelation – the consistent theme seen throughout is that God has a purpose of redeeming people of every tribe, tongue and nation. This theme continues all the way to its consummation, where at the end of history, surrounding the throne of God will be people representing each of these groups. Revelation 7 says:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Rev 7:9-12).

We Must Be Global Christian

Surveying this, John Stott concluded, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.” I wholeheartedly agree.

Today, there are nearly 7.5 billion people scattered across 17.000+ different people groups in 195 different countries, and more than 40% of them have never heard the gospel. As a church, we must make those people a priority, because our God has made them a priority.

The West Virginia Baptist Convention is committed to making disciples around the globe both by partnering with long-term missionaries and by commissioning short-term teams. In our history, we have commissioned 41 different full-time missionaries, and in this year alone, we have already commissioned over 100 short-term missionaries to five different continents.

How might God be calling you to participate in his global plan of redemption? A quick survey of Scripture shows us that all of us have a role to play.

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10–11 (NRSV)

We will never know from experience God’s richest blessings of comfort and compassion toward others until we ourselves have had trials. T.J. Bach

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Early in May, my family was traveling to Puebla for CICEM’s board meeting. When we reached a town called Córdoba in the state of Veracruz, I (Juan) felt dizzy and with nauseas. I could barely walk. We decided to call an ambulance. But before the ambulance arrived, I called a friend, who is a medical doctor, in San Cristobal and I told him my symptoms. “For what you’re describing, you seem to have vertigo. Go to a hospital and have an ENT check you,” he said. When the paramedics arrive, they confirmed I was having vertigo. They suggested that I go to a local hospital for treatment. At the hospital, I received treatment, but I wasn’t feeling any better. On the contrary, when I opened my eyes, I saw everything around me spinning with more intensity. So, I kept my eyes closed.

I told the doctor at the emergency unit that I wanted an ENT to check me. The ENT arrived almost 3 hours later; after examining me for a few minutes she concluded I had a severe vertigo episode. “I can’t let you go. You will need to stay at least 3 days so we can treat the symptoms,” she said. That night they started IV medication and I had blood work done.

Denise, the kids, brother Mariano from the Teltal area, and pastor Pablo from the Tsotsil area – who were traveling with us – stayed at a local hotel that night. We were supposed to arrive that Friday night to Puebla, so Denise called our missionary colleagues, Keith and Deb Myers, to let them know what was happening.

On Saturday morning, CICEM’s board decided to cut short the meeting to support us. Noé Trujillo and Keith Myers came to the hospital. And later they took our kids and hermano Mariano and pastor Pablo to Puebla.

That same morning, I had further blood work done and an audiometry evaluation. Because I had never had anything similar, the ENT suspected it could be a first incidence of Meniere’s disease. But the blood work and audiometry results were within normal range. She explained that it’s not possible to diagnose Meniere’s with a single episode. And that I needed to be monitored during a whole year to be certain if it was indeed Meniere’s. She decided to order a CT Scan of my ears.

The CT Scan results were not encouraging. The results showed I have a condition call Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SSCD). “It’s a rare condition, which requires surgery to fix it. You need an otoneurologist to do further analysis,” she explained. I was flabbergasted by the news. I wanted to cry but manage to hold it. I asked her what she suggested, what’s the best place to find the specialist. “At the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City they have the expertise and technology to treat you,” she said.

I was released from the Hospital 4 days later. Our friend Keith Myers drove us back to Chiapas.

In Chiapas, we’ve sought an ENT to follow up. He ordered a comprehensive audiology evaluation. The results showed that since the vertigo episode I’ve had hearing loss. He believes the CT Scan done at the Hospital were not the right ones to diagnose SSCD. He thinks it might be Meniere’s disease.

I’m currently taking medication but still experiencing balance problems. I only started driving again three days ago. Being thousands of miles away from family and friends makes it a little more complicated. But we’ve experienced God’s love and care through our Mission Partnership Team (MPT), our prayer network, friends from our children´s school, and our Tsotsil and Tseltal sisters and brothers.

God put in the hearts of two of our Tseltal churches to raise a love offering for us. They called to let us know they had a gift for us. Denise and I were deeply moved as we know the challenges they face. We didn’t want to take the gift. But we realize that it was God’s way of showing He is with us. We needed to be humble and vulnerable.

The Lord’s opened the door at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City and I had an initial appointment with the otoneurologist on June 4^th. I will have further exams and another appointment on August 6th and 12th. We’re praying that after the exams and appointments, we will have a certain diagnosis of what’s wrong and how to deal with it.

We continue to be in communication with our partners but have paused all traveling so we can focus on recovering my health.

We invite you to join us in this part of the journey by lifting us up in prayer so the Lord brings to our path the right medical team that can properly diagnose and treat me and the peace in our minds and hearts that everything will be ok.

We know that with this trial God is inviting us to a deeper trust.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

With much gratitude and love,

Juan & Denise

The above article was originally posted on International Ministries’ website and can be accessed here.

Be in prayer for each of our missionary interns this summer.  Over the past six months, they have participated in various training sessions and have each raised the necessary support for their individual ministry contexts.  We are excited to see what God does in and through them this summer as they seek to discern how God may use them in missions long-term.